Improvement in trusses



E. w. HIGBEE Trusses.

N0. 141,220. P'atentedjuly 29,1873.

N ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN TRUSSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,220, dated lTuly 29, 1873; application filed June 24, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. W. HIGBEE, of Northampton, in the county of Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements i-n Trusses, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the anneXed drawing forming a part of the same, and in which- Figure l represents a perspective view of my truss-` and Fig. 2 a vertical section thereof.

Like parts in the figures are designated by corresponding letters.

This invention relates to certain improvements upon my patent for truss granted December 29, 1868, and N o. 85,305 5 and it consists in combining therewith an upper or second girdle or belt, to which and the lower girdle are connected the ends of springs or braces, the latter being supplied with metallic loops having internal teeth, and embracing the said girdles, for the purpose of rendering the springs movable upon the latter, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

To enable others to make and use rnyinvention, I will proceed to describe it.

In the drawing, A refers to the upper belt or girdle, the ends of which receive and are held in place through buttons, or other suitable means, the buttons being fastened to a strip of leather secured to the auxiliary hinged pad B described and claimed in patent of above date. A and (l refer, respectively, to the lower belt and the concavo-convex spring secured to the metallic piece of the auxiliary pad B, also set forth in the said patent. To the belts or girdle A A are secured the ends of the springs or braces D through metallic loops D', the said loops embracing the belts and having lat-eral projections or plates which pass ihrough holes in the springs, and, when p .-ssed apart, clamp the latter to the loops.

' The springs or braces Dare made as light as possible and of some elastic'metal, to avoid their being an incumbrance, and to allow themA to easily yield Yfor adaptation to the motion and position of the body as the wearer lies, sits, or otherwise alters his position from an erect one.

The object of the loops D is to render the springs D movable upon the girdles for the purpose of enabling the truss to be adapted to different-sized persons. These loops are supplied with internal teeth, which indent and grasp the girdles, so as to retain the loops at thel points where placed thereon.

The upper girdle or belt A, which encircles the bodyjust above the hips andin the small 7 oi' the back, serves to keep the truss from slipping either up or down, whatever may be the position of the body, whereby the pad will be constantly held to its place, and thus overcome the continual annoyance of having to replace the pad after adjustment to the body, as has been experienced heretofore.

E refers to the hernial pad, which is adjusted to its place through the stiff metallic spring F, which is fastened 'by rivets or otherwise, at its vertical portion, to the metallic piece or bar of the hinged pad. The other portion'of this spring is inclined in the man ner shown in Fig. 2, by which, when the pad is in contact with the body, such a pressure will be imparted to the pad as would be obtained by pressing with the thumb upwardly against the hernia', thereby having the effect to keep the latter in place. Y

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isv The. combination, with the belt A' and hinged pad B, of the upper belt or girdle A f and the movable springs or braces D D, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 7th day of June, 1873, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

E. W. HIGBEE.

Witnesses:

L. W. JOY, A. L. THAYER. 

